7 smart and sassy crime fiction writers dish on writing and life.
It's The View. With bodies.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Don't Sneak Your Buddies in the Trunk

HANK PHILLIPI RYAN: I burst
out laughing when I read the topic of today’s post. I love when Jungle Red has
a theme. You know we don’t plan it, but sometimes it just—emerges. (Exactly
what happens when you write a book, right?) So this week, as it turns out, is history,
and how our past creates and shapes our future. And for many of us—including me—my
past was partly shaped at the movies.

Not only in the plush seats
of the Esquire and the Uptown—oh, and the Vogue, I just remembered! But in the
backseat of our..gosh, what kind of station wagon did we have? It was blue, and
we all battled to sit in the wayback.

Anyway. Those buzzy speakers you
put in the window, that you could wear your jammies and still go to the concession
stand and get popcorn and DOTS, and that half the time, everyone else fell asleep.
Not me!

After my dad returned from
WWII, my great uncle decided to build a drive-in movie theatre just outside our
Midwest town. Drive-ins were the rage in the early 1950s. Ours was a
family-friendly venue, and those movies left me with wonderful memories and a
half-cocked belief that anything could happen if I dreamed big enough. I’m sure
many of my ideas about love, honor, heroism, character, dreams, and even death
came from those early films. I didn’t realize it then, but I was also studying
plot lines, character motives, foreshadowing, and pacing.

During those years
in the 1950s and1960s, my dad was in charge. Being the manager meant he booked
the shows, trained the boys who worked there, maintained the grounds, checked
on the films to make sure they had been sent in or out, ordered the supplies
for the concession stand, kept an eye on the ticket booth, and walked the
perimeters checking for “problems,” like underage drinking and the possibility
that children were being conceived.

I was oblivious to
all of my dad’s headaches and responsibilities because I simply saw the
drive-in as a marvelous playground, a place of memories. At night my mom would
put my brother and me in pajamas and we’d go to the show, often falling asleep
in the back seat before the movie was over. Did I dream about the way to begin
a story or the clues that pointed to the ending? Not sure. Even now, sixty years
later, I can hear the car tires as we turned from Losey Street onto the
whirring sound of the Kellogg Street bricks, waking me up with “almost home.” Those
bricks have been replaced by asphalt, but that distinctive sound change stays
in my head forever—I can hear it even now.

Jimmy Stewart,
Clark Gable, Kirk Douglas, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Lauren Bacall, Debbie
Reynolds, Grace Kelly, Gary Cooper … These were my friends while I was growing
up. I still remember the sad ending of “The Benny Goodman Story” and the
heroism of Jimmy Stewart in “The Spirit of St. Louis.” I rode around the arena
with Ben-Hur, was terrified in “Vertigo,” laughed with Tony, Jack, and Marilyn
in “Some Like It Hot,” and was enchanted by John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in
“The Quiet Man.” My favorite actor by far was Jimmy Stewart, and I watched “The
Greatest Show on Earth” seven nights in a row. Each morning my neighborhood
friends and I would have our own circus parade, round and around the block.

My brother and I shared
other memories too. Some nights after my dad closed the place at 1:30 a.m.,
we’d drive the night’s receipts to the bank deposit, a policeman following us.
Then we would go to the Huddle Drive-in and have breakfast. I’m sure if parents
did this today with a six-year-old and nine-year-old, people would think they
needed to have their heads examined, or they might call the Department of
Children and Family Services. “A child out in a restaurant at 2 a.m.?” I still
fondly remember those summer breakfasts and the people who laughed in the
security of our family circle.

The whirring sound
of automobile tires, the metal speaker sitting on the car window, fireflies
dancing near dusk, the shadows as people moved past our car to the concession
stand, the smell of popcorn, and the triangle of projector light …these are
precious memories that sparked my sense of adventure and imagination from a
very early age.

People usually ask an
author what books influenced her. Instead, I’d like to know what movie stays in
your memory…or what drive-in?

HANK: The Huddle!
We had a Huddle! I haven’t thought about that restaurant for–fifty years. Are you
from Indiana, Susan? Okay, the drive-in.
I remember seeing The Blob. And …Beach Blanket Bingo? Hardly life-changing…somehow,
the classics were not shown at the—rats, I can’t remember the name of the one
we went to. But wow, we loved it. And oh—maybe
Bye Bye Birdie? Could that be? How about you, Reds?Drive-in history? (And do you recognize the song in my blog title?)(And Susan is giving her new book to alucky commenter!)

…if two of them are
dead. Haunted by a terrifying event in her past, recently retired teacher,
Grace Kimball, is hired to research the history of her small town of Endurance,
a history that includes dark secrets people would prefer stay hidden. A former
colleague dies in a suspicious fire, and Grace’s curiosity leads her into
similar danger. She feels a growing attraction to her boss, but wonders if she
can trust this mystery man.

Endurance is a picturesque place … as long as you don’t mind
a dead body … or two.

The Education of a Teacher (Including Dirty Books and Pointed Looks.) Her
first mystery, Three May Keep a Secret,
was published December 2014. Marry in Haste, her second Endurance
mystery, will be out in 2016. A high school and college teacher for forty-four
years, she has always been interested in mysteries since she read the entire
Sherlock Holmes series at a very early age. It was love at first murder, and
yes, her parents were worried. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery
Writers of America. Her website is www.susanvankirk.com

61 comments:

Drive-in memories? Even though the first drive-in to open was in Camden, New Jersey, I don't have any memories of going to the drive-in when I was growing up, but I did see several memorable movies at the drive-in when John and I lived in California. My favorite was "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" although I have a soft spot in my heart for "Kingdom of the Spiders", a absolutely perfect drive-in movie . . . .

Wow, wonderful memories. I grew up south of Pasadena, California, and only a couple of blocks away was the El Monte Drive In Theatre. The back of the screen pictured a desert scene with a woman doing the Mexican hat dance in a long skirt open to show a lot of leg. Saguaro cacti and a man in the distance watched. No idea what movies we watched in our jammies, and there were certainly nights later on in my life where some serious necking went on (but no baby-making!), so I don't recall those movies, either. ;^) Will add your book to my TBR pile!

The drive-in - such memories. My mom was a waitress at our little IN town's White Swan Restaurant. The owners of the drive-in a couple doors down came in for breakfast every morning and gave her passes. So once a week my mom, sister and about (about 7 & 10 maybe) went to the drive-in. My mom would laugh so loud at the cartoon before the movie that my sister and I would try to get her to eat something, "because everyone can hear you, mom." Rotten kids. Loved all the movies, never fell asleep. Went to that same drive-in with my future husband years later ;-).

Edith- I don't think my dad reported the amorous adventures to us kids, but he sure did talk about pulling guys out of trunks and sending them back to the ticket booth to pay. When I was a teenager, this was the place to go to have some privacy with that cute guy. In my case, however, my dad or one of his henchmen would show up.. You were luckier.

Gram-- Peggy Lee--Wow! Long time since I've thought about that name. I don't remember "Pete Kelly's Blues," but Peggy Lee songs played on our stereo and on "Hit Parade" on our television. Later , of course, she was replaced on the stereo by rock and roll, much to our parent's bewilderment.

Hank and Jungle Reds, Thanks for having me on today. I actually live in a small town in west central Illinois, about 40 miles from the Mississippi River. But judging from basketball tournaments and drive-ins, I could have grown up in Indiana.

Lucy, My first memoir about teaching is a collection of fifteen non-fiction stories about students who came into my life and changed it forever. Some of these stories are stranger than fiction, but all are true. Teachers, former teachers, and soon-to-be teachers love this book. My Endurance Mysteries are in their baby stage. The first, "Three May Keep a Secret," explores the age-old thought that everyone has secrets and some are deadly. The second book explores the topic of domestic violence. "Marry in Haste" will be out next year, and it continues the saga of the tiny town of Endurance. Both mysteries contain history, and the second one has a double plot, one plot in the present and one in 1893.

We did have a drive-in and I do remember going with my mom and dad when I was a kid, and yes, I loved being able to wear my jammies. That just seemed like such a fun adventure. Because Cambridge was a small town I remember always running into some of my friends at the snack counter, and they were also wearing their jammies and we would laugh and laugh about how much fun we were having. Lovely fun memories.

Really, Hank? What song? Has to be country since I've not heard of it. I believe my dad said the drive-ins died out because of television. In the early 1950s, we had the first set on our block. This made for direct competition with drive-ins. You could stay home and watch quality shows with your kids. Drive-ins were such a huge experience in my generation because you could meet other teenagers there and get away from your parents (well, except for me, of course.)

I learned how to pop the clutch to get a car started at a drive-in theater.

The car, I and the battery were all about seventeen years old. The battery died, no one had jumper cables, but the drive-in was up a hill. So we pushed the car to the driveway, turned the key to on, stuck the three-in-the-tree into second, kept the clutch in and let her roll.

Near the bottom I yanked my foot off the clutch and just as I had read, the engine jerked us to a start.

Haven't thought of that in a whole lot of years.

BTW, I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Three May Keep a Secret, so don't stick my name in the hat.

Ah, Jim. What a great story. I keep telling my grandchildren that reading teaches you so many things...I'll have to add popping the clutch to my list. My dad taught me to drive the drive-in's jeep with a clutch and gear shift on the floor when I was 14. Another drive-in experience.

Oh, Hank, that explains my error in the title. I didn't remember that from the Beach Boys. Wow. One of those synapses that is probably broken or misplaced. And FChurch, you make my point about the drive-in aiding and abetting teenagers.

Hi, girls! We didn't go to the movies often because 6 x price = too much money. Sometimes, we went to the drive-in. I remember "War Wagon" with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. "Parade of Clowns" with Jimmy Stewart and a very young Kurt Russell. Mom popped popcorn and filled the scotch cooler with cold drinks. Lots of fun.

Drive-ins were rare in my past, but I remember the first one on a family camping somewhere in New England (we lived in Montreal then, where no kids were ever allowed in movie theatres, so huge treat). The Mysterians or something like that. Monsters from space. The last drive-in I went to was with some girlfriends. Prudence and the Pill (yeah, really) plus the first feature, Deadfall, with, I think, Michael Caine.

Susan, your drive-in family history sounds like it's just tailor-made for a murder setting. Perhaps the town of Endurance has a drive-in history?

I must admit I never made it to a Drive In. I rarely went to the movies growing up period, and there weren't that many near us anyway. And I'm probably showing that I'm younger than the majority of the crowd with that statement. It also seemed like fun to me, something I'd like to do once. If I can even find one any more.

Hello, Susan D, Really? "Prudence and the Pill"? I need to look that one up! Thanks for checking out Judy Penz Sheluk's blog. She is an amazing source of information on technology and marketing. I'm looking forward to reading her upcoming book.

I saw most of my movies growing up in our fabulous art deco movie theater in town. Inside it was like a fantasy land, with stars twinkling on the ceiling and faux balconies where you could imagine princesses and princes looking out from the castle. I know we went to the drive-in every once in a great while, but it was complicated with our age ranges. My oldest sibling was ten years older, next was eight years older and next was three years older.

So, my real introduction to drive-ins was in my teens. I remember that my mother was dead set against me going to a drive-in movie with a boy, but she relented when the boy was someone she knew and trusted (usually the worst kind, but not in this case). I do recall some hugging and kissing, but it was a pretty tame date. It was lots of fun to go with a bunch of girls, and I did sneak in someone in my boot, which is trunk for most people. My husband and I did take our children to the drive-in in their pajamas, along with some neighborhood kids, and that was always special to me. We still have an operating drive-in across the river in Reo, Indiana (the one we took the kids to), but I haven't been in years. I guess I like my creature comforts a bit more these days. What was an adventure in my younger days is more of a "where's the bug spray" event now.

Susan, your childhood growing up with the drive-in sounds magical. I love the name of the town, Endurance, in your new novel, and the digging back into its history sounds most intriguing. Going on my TBR list now. Thanks for a great post.

Susan, thanks for the fun memories! For me it was the Arapaho Drive-In, just down the street from my house. (This is just north of Dallas, by the way, and we weren't really even a suburb back then. There was a rage for giving things Indian names, hence "Arapaho.") My parents were manufacturer's reps for theater concessions, including popcorn, popcorn tubs and drink cups, AND Pic Mosquito Coils, which you had to use at the drive-in if you didn't want to be eaten alive. So even now, the scent of a burning mosquito coil takes me right back to the drive-in... Funnily enough, I don't remember ever going with my parents. My grandmother took me, and I saw much scarier movies than I probably should have watched. By the time I was a teenager the Arapaho had closed, and the kids went to a much newer, bigger drive-in in Dallas. Never was the same, though.

Deborah, I know what you mean about the times changing--not the same experience. And scents seem to stay with you forever. I always remember the smell of sugar cookies in my aunt's kitchen when we'd go to visit. On a different note, I heard you speak at the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, and you were an inspiration for someone who thought she might want to write mysteries. Thanks.

I absolutely remember seeing "Birdman of Alcatraz" and "Tall Story" at the Gearhart drive near Astoria when I was very young (long since), and "The Three Musketeers" plus the extraordinary double-feature "Legend of Hell House" and "Night of the Lepus"(giant rabbits terrorize Janet Leigh) at the North Salem drive in the early seventies, probably the last time I went to a drive in. Those terrible giant metal speakers that never attached just right, the scary concession food (we always brought our own home-made popcorn). Thanks for bringing back those strange memories!

Drive in movies - wow. So few left today and they were so wonderful. What was the name of that green round spiral think you lit on your dash to keep bugs away? Can't remember, but I remember the smell! We had no drive-ins near our house. But we went to one when we vacationed down the shore. The movie was The Parent Trap - with Halley Mills! It was wonderful. I loved watching outdoors on a huge screen. Much bigger than the Rivoli theater! Then there came a time when my uncle moved to Newburgh NY. They lived high on a hill and on the bottom of the hill, directly across the street was a drive in. Kids being kids, we would sneak in during the day and turn up the volume on the speakers in the last row that was closest to the house. Then, when dark fell, we would all traipse down to the front of my uncle's property and watch the movie. If we were lucky, no one turned down the sound so we could make out some of the dialogue. When that didn't happen, we made up our own stories to go with the pictures on the screen. Either way, it was a delightful way to spend summer nights.

My parents took the five of us to the drive-in occasionally, maybe once per summer? I don't remember the titles of all the films we saw there. This would have been in the fifties and maybe up to 1961 or 62. I don't remember when the drive-in eventually closed down. Many of the films we saw were Disney films, many starred Hayley Mills. There were also adventure/war movies that mostly appealed to my dad. I remember sneaking looks at the teenagers in adjacent cars who were NOT watching the movie!

Susan, how did your dad feel about people bringing their own refreshments? And tell us the secret of the concession stand… Are there special boxes of dots that only movies can sell?Jonathan says he remembers seeing invasion of the bodysnatchers at the drive-in… Wouldn't that have been terrifying?

A high school boyfriend had a job at the drive-in so we could get in free (or at least he could). I can still remember the clunky radio thing you had to put in the window of the car. I think later on you could get it to come on the radio. It's been a long time since I've thought of the drive-in! Or the high school boyfriend for that matter.

Don't know the song. We had a drive in called The Plantation. The front of it looked like Tara. I went with my parents when I was young. Never went there on a date. I go to one now outside Lexington, Virginia.

Hi, Christopher,I don't remember the giant rabbits. I do remember Janet Leigh in a lot of movies. I saw "The Forbidden Planet," and it scared the heck out of me for a few weeks. I have no idea what giant rabbits would have done to me! Glad to hear you have some memories, strange or not.

Kait, "The Parent Trap." Loved that movie with the duo Haleys. You would have had free admission at our theater, at least up to twelve. That didn't set very well with movie companies that made kid movies.

"Tall Story," Hank. That was Jane Fonda. I remember seeing an interview with her where she just shook her head when she thought about that early movie. It might have been her first. I think she played a cheerleader with big boobs and no brains.

THEM at The Pinehurst Drive-n. Pete's Diner just outside the perimeter. I found someone's wedding ring in the dirt parking lot beside Pete's. I wanted to find the owner, but my mother said, "No, darling. They don't want it back."

I can't remember going to drive-ins with my parents. Mom ususally dropped big brother and me off at the movie theater. When I was in junior high (?) I went to a slumber party at a friend's. Her mom had promised to take us all to the drive-in. We all had noxzema on our faces (for beauty!). The only movie playing was a strange Bridgette Bardot one in French with subtitles. No one could figure out what was going on, her hair color kept changing from blonde to brown and back again, and our hostess was horrified and drove us all back to the house. That was a hoot. In Austin in college, we had a girls night out at the drive-in and saw Hang Em High. It was winter and actually cold. We kept having to turn on the car and run the heat to thaw out. And we all drooled over Clint Eastwood.

I have pretty vivid memories of drive-ins when I was a little girl.I remember mainly John Wayne movies and Alfred Hitchcock ones. The Birds stands out because I was really too young to see it and it left me afraid of birds for a while.I also remember that we would stop at a drive through ice cream place and get milk shakes on our way to the movies.

Then I remember them again when I was a teenager. One movie I especially remember from that era was Jeremiah Johnson.

"Tall Story" definitely starred Jane Fonda, but my eyes were only directed at Anthony Perkins. "The Night of the Lepus" is often mentioned as one of the worst horror films ever made, although I must say that "Legend of Hell House" was pretty scary. I wasn't quite old enough then to "date," so my drive-in movie experiences are viewed through the somewhat romantic eyes of a child. Which is maybe the best lens through which to see them....

Great column. I have so many vivid memories of our drive-in theater. My father, who was a constable, worked part time at our local theater, directing traffic outside and patrolling inside. As a result, my family got to go in free, so we went often. But I was never allowed to go with a date!! I can still remember the smells from the refreshment building. I even got to sit in the projection booth and watch how the projectionist changed the reels. Terrific memories. Sadly, the theater is now a shopping center.

Grace, I forgot about the projectionist changing the reels! This was in the age prior to digital technology! One of our projectionists was also a family friend, and he took film of our Christmases each year from the time I was about 4. Since then I have changed the film to VHS format and now DVD. What's next?

After reading this delightful post, I have a hankering to go to a drive-in! The best part? There's one still open not far from my home in Santa Barbara CA. As a kid, the Olympic Drive-in in W. Los Angeles was my family's fav. (especially the strawberry sundaes in a cup). With my own kids, we visited the one in Santa Barbara. My kids are grown, so it's time for the hubby and me to screen "Cinderella" (currently playing), on the really big screen, don't you think? :)

Went to lots of drive in movies in Canoga park and Van Nuys in So Cal. Six kids were free, so my parents took us there. If dad was with us: no candy, no food in the car at all, like a rolling jail. Mom: some popcorn, even concession! All Disney movies! Dated at the drive in and my parents didn't know, which is why I'm still alive. Don't know the quoted song but reminds me of my Golden Rule of Detectives: check the freezer. Laura Hernandez

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